


Stay With Me

by atomtom



Series: Moral Support [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Crime Fighting, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 08:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12164784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atomtom/pseuds/atomtom
Summary: Takes place a few months after Rhys initially meets his assigned hero and they've frequently battled.  They discover each other's secret identities under unfortunate circumstances.





	Stay With Me

The note was hand delivered to him by a correspondence agent the day after he challenged Handsome Jack to a duel on-air.  After battling with one of Jack's lackey heroes in the city, he dared the man himself to come out and fight him next time.  And Pandora's number one hero wasn't known to swallow his pride.   


It was an obvious trap and Rhys knew it.  He unfolded the paper and in obnoxiously large handwriting it read  _ You and me tonight at Hollow Point.   _ At the bottom was a post script reading  _ P.S. I'll cut you a deal and kill you in half the usual time if you show HAHA- Handsome Jack. _ _   
_

_ Did he just write out his own laugh? _ Rhys squinted reading it.  The man definitely had a way with words.    


Of course this was all a ploy to get him to come out, but he could at least plan on what he was walking into.  It wasn't like he hadn't strolled straight into someone's trap on purpose before either.  He always managed to make it out alive so long as he was prepared for a fight, so this he wasn't too worried about.   


Rhys wasn't about to tell Timothy about this; he wouldn't hear the end of it.  He knew Tim would just be looking out for his well-being, but the allure was strong. After all, Jack was the reason he became a villain in the first place.  It was obsessive, perhaps, but he felt his fixation on Handsome Jack was justified.  This was the man that took his arm and his eye, the man that got away with countless cases of exploitation because he was a so-called hero, the man who had Pandora under his thumb and nobody could do anything about it.   


Plus, this might be one of his few chances to get the satisfaction of killing Jack himself; the guy wasn't exactly tied down to just one villain.  It was already decided in his mind, Rhys would come prepared and finally settle this vendetta.     
  
That night,  Rhys stalked the roofs of Hollow Point.  His nanobots followed him, slinking in his shadow unseen.  They only revealed themselves as he silently stepped over the gaps between buildings, forming a bridge beneath his feet.     


Hollow Point was an old district,  everything here was either crumbling or on the verge of it. Anyone who lived here did it because rent was cheap and it was relatively safe.  Relatively meaning this place used to be a hotspot for some literal underground crime rings- Hollow Point wasn’t just a name for show- and now the mob had essentially retired here for a taste of the old days, so no one wanted to mess around in their territory. Still, as Rhys looked down from a dilapidated brick apartment complex on the brightly lit neon of seedy motels, liquor stores, and the 24 hour gas stations, he couldn't help but admire a kind of beautiful liveliness it had.     


Turning away from the main streets, he headed for the outskirts of town.  This was where you presumably went if you were asked to a duel.  The buildings out there were set to be demolished for the past decade or so and it had inadvertently become a super's playground.  It was far enough from any real residence that there wouldn't be any collateral damage and no one really cared if the you sent someone flying through both front and back walls of the old Marcus's if it was going to be torn down anyway.   


Any decent villain didn't bring civilians into their duels; that was something you figured out with your hero one on one.  It was almost midnight, the traditional hour designated for these kinds of battles.  If there was anything that brought together supers from all walks of life it was that they lived for drama.    


A silhouette was outlined in front of a faded rooftop billboard- "Welcome to Pandora: Your Final Destination Guaranteed" was now graffitied with "Pis off" in the corner. _ Charming _ Rhys thought. He landed across from Handsome Jack who was decked out in his black and yellow suit that, in Rhys's opinion, made him look like a kid playing race car driver. He had the shameless self promotion of a sponsor riddled sell-out too; black and yellow were the colors of Hyperion.  It was a security systems company that sold everything from cameras to armed missiles. And he was just coincidentally the CEO.  He didn't have a civilian life because he always wanted the spotlight on him- for all intents and purposes, Handsome Jack was his secret identity.   


Stepping into the light of the billboard, they looked at each other for a few moments before Jack started.   


"You..." he laughed, shaking his head and resting his hands on his hips, "You got some nerve, kiddo."   


"Don't call me kiddo," Rhys said bluntly.   


"What was that?" he looked around, "I couldn't hear it over the sound of me NOT caring."  He laughed at his own joke like it wasn't just him and the guy who just sent him a literal death threat. "You're all the same," he went on irreverently, "Eeeeveryone who thinks they're hot shit wants a piece of Handsome Jack- and who can blame 'em? I mean look at me!"   


He gestured to himself, causing Rhys to react with a guttural noise of disgust.   


"But when you really boil it all down you're just scum. Bandits. Wannabes."   


"Shut up." Rhys raised his hand, sending a surge of nanobots at him, "You don't know me you arrogant, pig-headed-"   


Jack held up a small device in his hand resembling a trigger button, giving it a small click with his thumb. Immediately the wave slowed, then solidified, tapering to a point halting just inches from Jack's nose.  Rhys's eyes widened seeing his machines freeze and then fall away, clattering into a pool on the floor.  In a panic Rhys repeatedly thrust out his arm trying to get them to move again.   


"That's right, baby," he taunted Rhys with the device, "I know what makes you tick."  Then he clipped it to the thick utility belt around his waist, walking forward towards the villain. Rhys tripped over his own feet scrambling backwards to get away. "See, when you've been working as long as I have in the business, people like you start gettin' real predictable."   


The pace of Rhys's breath quickened, he caught himself as he ran out of roof to walk on. He heard a piece of stucco chip beneath his heel and looked down as it fell four stories below.   


"You think one little toy's gonna make all the difference, but look at you now..."   


Rhys looked off the edge, frantically analyzing the area for material to make something.  The best he could find were probably some street lamps and some rickety old car parts from the construction equipment.  They would have to do; he quickly summoned them below around the perimeter of the building.     


He turned back to Jack, having to watch helplessly as he moved in on him like a predator hunting its next meal.  Jack seized him by the coat collars and held him over the ledge, Rhys struggling to breathe as he clawed at his own neck.   


"I got you pegged, sweetheart,"  Jack smiled, dropping him off the roof without remorse.  He was about to leave when he heard the sound of warping metal, like something landing on the hood of a car.   


He took a few steps back from the edge, watching a spider-like mech with four spindly legs rise above the rooftop.  Rhys pushed himself up on the central body, catching his breath, huffing and re-adjusting his his coat.     


Jack laughed, looking upwards at Rhys staring down at him, "Now we're talkin'!"  He launched himself up, leaving a crater in the cement of the building.  Flying overhead he tried to get the higher ground on Rhys.   


Rhys took aim, his right arm rippling and transforming into a cannon.  A bolt crackling blue energy raced through the length of his arm, firing from his palm at Jack.   


Jack reacted with lightning speed, his fist making contact with the shot as it burst and dissipated around him in an impressive starburst.  The distraction gave Rhys enough time to compact the platform he was on low to the ground and have it crawl away into the deserted streets.  Jack shook the sting out of his hand briefly before floating down among the buildings to patrol the area.   


Rhys had taken refuge in a hollowed out building; the roof, widows, and upper floors were gone.  Not much was separating him from the outside where Handsome Jack was approaching.  Rhys had already sent out several other robots to keep him occupied- large canine beasts he cobbled together from the surrounding scrap metal- but he knew their construction was shoddy so they wouldn't last too long.  The most sustaining damage he expected them to give the hero was a scratch and a very small chance of tetanus. The problem with not having more sophisticated material on hand was that the power of what he made was much more reliant on size and brute force- and big things took time to make.  The best he could do now was stall.  He was kneeling with both his hands to the ground; he had to focus on assembling a monster.   
  


The atmosphere was deathly silent as Jack drifted above the street lamps.   


"Hellooooo~" he laughed to himself, "You're makin' this a lot more fun than I thought it would be- and I thought I'd get to kill somebody!"   


He paused, hearing a shuffling from one of the floors next to him.  Jack squinted, peering through the dirty glass sensing slight movement in the darkness.   


Suddenly,  one of Rhys's creatures burst through the window onto him.  It was rather large, a good foot taller than him, covered in armor and spines that ran along its back and a maw that opened up three ways into a pit of razor sharp teeth.  Another one leaped onto him from the opposite roof, the weight of the two heavy machines sent Jack crashing into the pavement.     


Jack threw them both off, causing them to slide across the street creating sparks as their claws dragged on the tar.  They tried for another double strike; the first one ran towards him again, jumping up and aiming for his head.  It was stopped short, unceremoniously, by Jack ducking and grabbing hold of it by the neck.   Electricity crackled from its throat as his grip tightened, crushing the metal inward, causing its body to go limp.   


The other creature attacked from behind thinking it could take Jack by surprise by ramming itself into him.  It didn't phase the hero; he spun around, the robot still in his arms. He lifted the body over his head and brought it down hard on the other machine, flaying it in half.  Jack huffed and cast the shattered remains off to the side, stepping out into the middle of the street.     


"Is that all you got?" his voice echoed out into the open air with no response.  "Come at me!"   


He stood still, waiting. Listening.  Then, he felt the ground rumble under him. He widened his stance and firmly planted his feet in the ground, readying himself for what was coming.  He looked forward, expecting that whatever was making the earth shake was about to come around the corner.  But as quickly as it began, the rumbling stopped.   


Jack's eyes shifted from one side of the street to the other, suspicious.  Breaking the silence, he saw the manhole cover at the end of the road erupt from the pavement.  After that the same happened to the fire hydrant a few feet closer to him.  The hero realized whatever this thing was it was headed right for him.    


He jetted upwards and away from the path it was taking, watching the ground where he had stood crack and split apart.  Once he was high enough he looked back, fixated on the road that was becoming divided in two.  Rising up from the gorge in a miasma of rubble, a giant pipe laden dragon reared its head.  The serpentine form twisted around several blocks; it shook its body slightly as if to shake off the excess sludge that encumbered it, preparing to take flight.   


The dragon roared, the pulsing blue core that ran along its entire body coming to life as it lifted itself into the air.  With Rhys standing at the helm, he willed it to dive for Jack.  It snapped, plasma seeping from its teeth when it narrowly missed him.  The dragon circled back around, spitting out a bolt of lightning that hit Jack square in the shoulder.  The blow forced him to fall several meters before he was able to get his airspeed up again.    


He decided to straighten himself out and use the momentum he had gained, aiming to tear a hole clean through the tail.  His body made it through the first few layers of piping before the metal began to reform and reject him.  The hardware brought him back up to surface, encasing him into the hide of the dragon.  When Jack lifted his head up he saw Rhys walking towards him, upside down.   


He realized they were on the underside of the enormous creature.  Rhys was able to walk in any direction on his machinery that he chose;  something this big required him to make a hefty physical as well as mental connection with it.  He cocked his head to the side to look at Jack, quite pleased with himself.   


"What're you lookin' at?"   


Rhys made no response, he simply walked away back to an upright position smiling to himself.   


"Come back her you cocky little-" he was interrupted by a mouthful of concrete chips.  The dragon had begun dragging its tail across the streets and slamming against the adjacent buildings.     


Rhys snickered, taking up a brisk pace toward the head.  He  _ did not _ want to miss what was going to happen next.  The lower half of the body swung upwards, flinging Jack high into the air.  Coming back around, the plates at the end of the tail smacked him toward its mouth.  A blast of hot, white fire swelled in its throat, the blaze shot up in a cyclone that engulfed the hero.   


Rhys couldn't help but smirk, he thought this was it, that it was finally over.  He reveled in watching Handsome Jack-  _ the _ Handsome Jack- fall through the flames and into the dragon's waiting jaws.    


His satisfaction didn't last though.  As soon as the beast's mouth wrenched shut, Rhys saw a bulge forming in its throat.  His eyes widened- Jack must've been collapsing it from the inside, causing a buildup of energy.   


Rhys was helpless, watching the explosion happen too fast for him to prepare a safe landing.  Pain shot through his head as he felt the connection forcibly severed and he was sent flying through the air.  He saw a streak of yellow zip through the air and immediately the panic set in.  Jack grabbed him, crushing the armor over his chest as he pummeled Rhys into the side of a brick wall. Rhys screamed, hearing the loud crack of his rib bones splitting.  Jack pushed him into the wall further, flying upwards taking Rhys with him.  Rhys felt himself creating a divot in the side of the wall where he was being dragged, trying to endure the pain.   


He felt himself being thrown up, landing hard on the roof.  His breath was shallow, his vision becoming blurrier by the second.  Rhys could barely raise his eyes to see Jack standing over him.  He was covered in black soot, his yellow jumpsuit was burnt and tattered in a few places.  His eyes were filled with what Rhys could only recognize as bloodlust.  It excited Jack to see his enemy defenseless and at his mercy.   


He gave Rhys a sharp kick in the collarbone, purring at how it shattered. Rhys gasped, skidding across and off the roof.  His face was contorted in pain as he desperately sunk the claws of his right hand into the edge.  He gulped, tasting the blood pooling in his mouth.  Rhys took a few heavy breaths before trying to painstakingly pull himself up.   


"Oh no, kiddo," Jack shoved off Rhys's other hand with his foot.    


Tears were welling up in Rhys's eyes- the agonizing pain made him dizzy, he could barely hold on much longer.    


"I always get my way..." Jack wedged his foot under Rhys's hand.  Rhys's body quivered, feeling himself slipping out of consciousness. "You'll see..." With a quick swipe Rhys was cast down into the alleyway.     


He haphazardly clawed at the wall failing to find a foothold to break his plummet.  Without a sound from his lips he landed with a thud, left bleeding and broken in a heap.   
  
***   
  
Vaughn arrived minutes after the battle.  He saw the sky light up when the dragon exploded as he was walking out of the convenience store and assumed the worst. Running through the gaps of the buildings with a grocery bag in hand, he searched as fast as he could for Wireframe.     


Soon, he heard a shallow heaving from the next alley; he slowed down, peering around the corner to make sure it was safe.  What he saw was a pile of cloth crumpled on the ground, softly rising and falling.    


"Wireframe!" Vaughn hurried over to him, kneeling down so that he could turn him over.  He heard the other man groan in pain as he carefully rolled Wireframe to lay on his back. "It's okay, you're gonna be okay." Vaughn reassured him, checking over the damage done to his body.   


"Madcap...?" Wireframe choked out a delirious whisper.  His vision was so blurry he couldn't tell who was standing next to him, but he recognized the voice.   


"Yeah, it's me," Vaughn smiled, relieved the other could still understand him.  "It looks like you hurt your leg so I'm gonna try to carry you. I'm gonna help you up now, okay? Onetwothree-" He lifted Wireframe by the underarms and leaned him up against the wall.   


Wireframe was gasping for air, tilting his head back on the bricks.     


"You good?" Vaughn gently put a hand on his arm.   


"I don't...think...I...can lift...my arms," his voice came out raspy between huffs.   


"That's okay! Here's what we'll do, I'll take you on my back and you can hold onto my arms. That sound good?" He tried to sound calm but the sense of urgency showed through how fast he was speaking.   


Wireframe made a small hum in confirmation.   


"We're gonna have to cover you up too, huh?" Vaughn began taking off his oversized hoodie, "I know what we can do." Vaughn removed him from the wall for a moment to put the hood over Wireframe's head so that it fell around him like a poncho, then tied the drawstrings under his chin. "You'll look really dumb but it’s fine, people won't see your face and think you're just drunk.  You ready?"   


Another small hum.   


"Okay," Vaughn twisted his bag around his wrist and kneeled down with his back to the villain. "Come on."   


Vaughn felt the other man latch onto his arms as he brought his legs up and off the floor.  He couldn't have weighed more than 160 pounds so it was no problem for him to walk back to his apartment at a quick pace.    


Wireframe's armored right hand reached down weakly groping for the white plastic grocery bag; Vaughn realized he was hazily attempting to help lighten the load.     


"It's okay, I can carry both," Vaughn responded cheerfully, hiking Wireframe up again on his back.  The hand fell back, returning to its previous position.  It didn't seem like he was about to question why Madcap would have this bag in the first place, nor was he in a state to think it should be otherwise.  Vaughn felt the taller man's body start to go limp and collapse over him, his breath barely noticeable.   


"Hey," he tipped his head a little to nudge Wireframe's face, "Stay with me. We're almost there, just hold on a little longer.  I'm gonna need you to take deep breaths, can you do that?"    


Soon he heard an intake of air, Wireframe's chest rising and pushing up against his back.  Vaughn let out a small sigh of relief as he finally arrived at the entrance of his apartment building.  With his foot, he wedged open the double glass doors to make enough space for them to get in.  He made it up the stairwell as fast as he could to his second floor apartment.   


"Hold onto me tight for a second," he told his passenger.  Vaughn momentarily released his hold on Wireframe's right side, fumbling with the keychain hanging from his pocket.  He felt the other man's grip trying to stay firm, but quickly slipping so he rapidly inserted the key into the lock and opened the door.     


Vaughn caught him under his thigh before his broken foot could touch the ground.  He was quivering all over from pain and exhaustion.     


"I gotcha, I gotcha..." Vaughn soothed him.  As they walked in, he felt Wireframe's shivers stop as he faded out of consciousness, accompanied by the metallic clunk of something hitting the floor.   


Vaughn couldn't help but pause and stare at what had fallen for a moment. It was too unexpected- and frankly too bizarre- not to.  Lying at his feet was Wireframe's right hand.  He gingerly stepped over it, making his way to the couch.  Behind him he heard several more clunks that he assumed were the other parts of the arm.  Vaughn had never suspected it was a prosthetic because of how fluid its movements were, but he supposed it made sense with how Wireframe could transform it.   


He quickly laid the villain out on the couch, then rushing around he closed the door, turned the light on, and headed to his bedroom.  When Wireframe stirred again he caught Vaughn in the middle of hauling over a pile of pillows big enough to hide half his body.   


Vaughn kneeled by him, "Can you sit up for me for a sec?" he supported Wireframe's back as he leaned forward slightly, inserting a pillow between him and the couch. Vaughn grabbed two more pillows, placing one under each of the other man's arms.   


"Guess we should fix those bones up, huh?" he smiled at the injured villain, sitting down on the coffee table and opening a small, white, palm sized box.  Wireframe watched as Madcap screwed several needles in the bottom and filled them with fluid.  Vaughn pulled off the breastplate of Wireframe's armor and rolled up his shirt. He was so numb he didn't even feel it when Vaughn took an alcohol pad to his skin and the liquid was injected around his stomach.     


After a few seconds when the box was completely empty, Vaughn pulled it straight up leaving six small puncture marks on the other's abdomen. He unscrewed the needles and dropped them into a thick red plastic container, replacing the box after.    


"That should make you feel better," Vaughn fondly smiled at Wireframe, reaching out to push back his battle tousled hair.  He hesitated a moment pulling his hand back but with no sign of being unwanted he gently ran his fingers through the other's soft locks.  His hands paused, lingering on the blood caked on the side of Wireframe's face.  He was about to lift his mask before stopping again.   


"Is it okay if I...?" he thought his nemesis was entitled to at least a bit of privacy.   


There was a small nod in response, and with that Vaughn tilted the mask upwards.  As soon as he did, the white porcelain-like material fluttered, condensing itself back into a small, circular node planted on the left side of Wireframe's forehead.      


Vaughn's breath spiked with a sharp intake of air.  Of course he had often wondered what his nemesis looked like, but he still had no idea what to expect.  The man in front of him was rather good looking, even with most of the left side of his face marred with large scars.  He looked up at Vaughn wide-eyed; one brown and one milky blue.   


_ He's blind... _ Vaughn thought.  Wireframe was full of surprises.     


"Let me...just...um," he took another alcohol pad and cleaned up the blood along Wireframe's 

mouth.  Vaughn found he couldn't help but to smile knowing the guy was safe.   


Wireframe was breathing much easier now; only a few minutes later he had felt like a weight was lifted from his chest.  Slowly his vision and clarity of thought came back to him.  The Madcap that he thought had saved him was not the Madcap he saw.   


This man was frumpy, if not comfortable looking.  He was slouching on the coffee table, now fiddling with the bag he brought home pulling out a very artificially pink donut with sprinkles. The thing that threw Wireframe for a loop most though, was that this man wore a pair of thick glasses.   


"What'd you give me...?" his voice still a little raspy.   


"Hm?" Vaughn looked up from the bite he took before swallowing to answer the question, "Oh! 

They're nanites that'll fix your body up at a cellular level."   


"They work  _ really _ quickly," he sunk his head back into the pillow, "Why doesn't every hospital have these?"   


Vaughn shrugged, "Well they are hypertech, so you know it's kind of unstable.  Even if it’s closer to what's typically feasible they don't want a liability like that so they're given to heroes so they can be guinea pigs. And if we suddenly develop cancer we can't blame them."   


Wireframe sat up slightly and looked at him a bit bewildered.   


"Relax, its well tested and pretty safe," Vaughn replied between another bite.   


Wireframe laid back again. "Huh.  Well thanks, Madcap."   


"Actually it’s just Vaughn around here."   


"Right," he glanced away, "Rhys."   


"Nice to meet you," Vaughn smiled, finishing up the last bit of his dessert.   


"What were you doing out at like one in the morning anyway?"   


"Well, you know that feeling when you're coming back home from a long night of caping and you're like 'wow I really want a gas station donut'?"   


"I really don't."   


"Okay maybe that's not a universal thing, but anyway that's what I was doing when I saw the fight."   


"Alright...hey, also, why the glasses?"   


"These?" he took them off, "They're non-prescription.  I needed real ones before my powers came in but my parents told me to keep wearing them to prevent recruiters from finding out I had heightened senses and trying to prey on me early." He wiped the lenses off with the end of his shirt, "It's actually a pretty common practice disguising your kid so it looks like they don't have the full package. People are always looking for war machines."   


Rhys nodded his head.   


"What about you Mr. Mystery, enough questions about me."   


Rhys laughed breathily, "Okay, what do you want to know?"   


"Well, you've got a prosthetic arm, why not an eye."   


"It's like you said, intravenous hypertech isn't a good idea.  And I have a different civilian arm that's a little more believable for the workplace."   


"Fair," Vaughn grinned.   


He got up, coming back with a bottle of red liquid he grabbed off the kitchen counter and pouring Rhys some of it in a shot glass.   


"What is this," Rhys sniffed it, it had a very sterile smell, "cheap cherry vodka?"   


"Almost. Off brand NyQuil.  You're gonna want to knock out."   


"Just as good," He tipped the glass back and drank the medicine in one gulp, "don't these things come with a measuring cup, why the shot glass?"   


"Trust me, supers are a hardier breed.  First time I used this trick the recommended 30 milliliters was  _ not _ enough to numb the pain." He proceeded to slam back a shot for himself, "We can get you some real pain meds in the morning if you're still feeling out of it."   


"What was yours for?" Rhys cracked up.   


"Are you kidding?" Vaughn rolled his eyes, "With the heart attack you gave me I'll be up all night!"   


That made Rhys laugh until he was slightly short of breath again.   


"Alright, I'm gonna go to bed.  Get some rest, okay." Without thinking Vaughn pecked Rhys on the cheek.   


"Why'd you...do that?" Rhys's voice was quiet, he sounded confused.   


"I just- I mean I’ve kissed you before and I wasn't really thinking-" Vaughn sheepishly pulled away.   


"It's just different when we're not teasing each other."   


"I know, I...just forget it happened," he felt his face getting hot.   


"Different's not bad," Rhys smiled slyly.   


Vaughn  _ really _ felt his face get hot.   


"I, um, good night," his voice cracked as he went to his bedroom and quietly closed the door.     


Rhys grinned to himself, he settled back on the pillow and closed his eyes.   
  


When Rhys woke up again it was from the hot summer sun hitting his face through the window.  His nose twitched to the smell of food cooking wafting over from the kitchen.  Rhys bolted up, his mind momentarily forgetting where he had ended up last night.  The sharp pain in his sides he felt immediately afterwards reminded him and he slowly - regretfully- lied back down.   


"Hey!" Vaughn looked at him from across the kitchen, "You feeling any better?"   


"Yea...Yeah," Rhys replied trying to sit up more slowly this time, "Just really sore...What time is it?"   


"Almost noon."   


" _ Noon _ ?"   


There was a click as Vaughn turned the gas off from the stove.  "I told you that stuff would put you out," he took down a couple of plates from the cabinet and portioned out some food from the frying pan onto them.   


"I hope you're okay with vegetarian," he walked over to Rhys, sitting on the coffee table again and handing him a plate of vegetable stir fry, " I didn't know if you had like, dietary needs so I figured this was safe."   


Rhys set the food on his lap, impressed, "Thanks. I don't, but that's really thoughtful of you."   


They sat quietly for a bit eating.  Rhys hadn't gotten a good look at the apartment the previous night and his curious eyes wandered around the room.  The apartment wasn't very big;  he could essentially see the whole thing from where he was sitting.  To the left of the couch was a small hall that led to a tiny bathroom and shower at the end.  On the right of that was what Rhys assumed was Vaughn's bedroom.  The other side of the apartment was was a combination of kitchen and a small dining area that looked like it could only fit two people, which was situated right next to a window.  In the living room itself there wasn't much furniture save for the couch, the coffee table, and a rather outdated tv sitting in the corner on top of a cheap wooden box.  Behind the couch was a large window that spanned most of the wall, slightly opened to let the air in.   


"How is it?"   


"Hmm?" Rhys's eyes were drawn back to Vaughn and then down to his plate, "Oh it's good! Like really good. Um, you said something about pain meds?"   


"Yeah, so, there's a pharmacy down the street we can walk to. You should probably clean up first though."   


Rhys looked down at himself; in broad daylight he looked a lot grubbier than he remembered.  His white undershirt was stained with dust and blood.    


He made an annoyed noise looking at it, "I might as well throw this thing away, it's pretty gross now."   


"Yeah...I'll tell you what," Vaughn said, setting his plate on the table, "you go can take a shower and borrow some of my clothes."   


"Will they fit?"   


Vaughn laughed a little getting up to go to his room. "We'll see," he rifled through his drawers, "But seriously, if anything you can still wear those pants and I can give you an oversized shirt and some new boxers."   


"Alright," Rhys groaned getting up and walking to the bathroom door.   


"Here," Vaughn placed a set of folded clothes in Rhys's arm, "I'll get ready too. Tell me if you need anything."   


"I will," his reply was soft.  Rhys closed the bathroom and started running the faucet.  He had underestimated how comforting a hot shower could be, letting his muscles relax as the water hit him.  Rhys picked up the shampoo on the ledge of the tub; he hoped Vaughn was okay with him using it.  _  Peach...neat _ he thought reading the label.  He could respect the choice in scents.    


When he was finished, he put on the T-shirt Vaughn gave him.  It turned out that it was too big, even for Rhys, and he ended up tucking it into his pants so it looked a little more presentable.  Well, as presentable as a cheesily designed college hackathon shirt could look.  In any case he did actually feel much better.  He walked back out into the living room, limping slightly trying not to irritate his recently set ankle.   


"Oh no, I'm so stupid I completely forgot about your foot," Vaughn was sitting on the couch, dressed in a white tank top and some black joggers, "That's alright I can walk down by myself and get stuff for you if you can't."   


"No no it's fine! And I want to walk with you..." Rhys smiled.   


"You sure?"   


Rhys nodded.   


"Well...If you need them I've got a couple crutches from a while back somewhere- I could get them for you!"   


"That would be really nice."   


"Yeah?" Vaughn almost tripped getting up to go look for them, "Oh, by the way your arm's on the kitchen table."   


It was charming how much Vaughn was making a fuss over him; Rhys took a moment to just watch his hero shuffle through the closet before going to retrieve his arm.  It looked like all the pieces had been laid out with a good amount of care. Each segment was lined up to make sure nothing was missing and it all fit together perfectly.  Rhys closed his eyes, feeling the pieces link together and reconnect to his nervous system. He exhaled, stretching out his reformed right arm and wiggling his fingers a few times.     


"Aha! Found them~" Vaughn carted the metal crutches over, leaning them up against the kitchen chair. "What's up?"   


Rhys was staring at the claws on his hand, "Do you think I can take it outside?  I mean it's kind of suspicious."   


"Around here?" the shorter man scoffed, "Nobody's gonna notice.  There's a lot of ex-villains that live in Hollow Point it's not new to anyone."   


"I'll take your word for it."   


They caught each other gazing at each other for longer than usual.   


"I- uh, you look good in that shirt. It never really fit me right..." Vaughn shyly looked away, scratching the back of his neck.   


"You look good too...The whole casual look really does it for you." Rhys's eyes shifted to the crutches, "Should we go?"   


"Yeah! We should get going!" Vaughn hastily put a crutch in each of Rhys's arms. "Lemme go open the door."   


They made their way through the door, into the hall, and down the elevator to the first floor.     
  


"You see her? That's my landlady." They were walking down the street and Vaughn had pointed up to an old woman on the third floor balcony.  She had a short black bob that was usually reserved for a younger crowd; smoke curled from her lips as she lounged on her deck chair and took a long drag from her cigarette.   


"So? What's so special about that?" Rhys casually glanced up to avoid suspicion.    


Vaughn shrugged, "That's Moxxi."    


"That's-" Rhys did a double take and then looked back at Vaughn, " _ That's _ Moxxi?"   


"Yeah," Vaughn smiled coyly.   


Moxxi was well renowned in the underworld for her series of neutral bars- places where supers, mercs and freelancers from whatever alignment could meet in a relatively protected space.  The only rule was if you were going to pick a fight you did it outside where people could watch.  It was where you could take jobs and do business, sure, but she really did know how to entertain.  After she retired there were a lot of bars in the same vein that popped up paying homage to her namesake.   


"Hey boys, where ya'll headed?" she called down with a heavy southern drawl.   


"Hi Ms. H! We're just walking to the store." Vaughn waved up at her.   


"And who's that handsome fella you got with ya there?"   


"He's just a friend that’s staying over."   


"Well in that case if yer not careful I might just have to steal him away." She winked at Rhys making him flustered, "You two run along now."   


They turned and began walking again.   


"She's kidding," Vaughn said in a low voice aside to Rhys.   


" _ Is _ she?" Rhys couldn't help but grin.   


His smile was infectious, "Well, probably. Maybe. If you hit her up she would not say no."   


"Even with all bodily damage?"    


"Scars are pretty hot," Vaughn said without thinking much of it.   


Rhys raised his eyebrows, a certain smugness pervaded his face.   


"That's just my opinion I mean," the shorter man rolled his eyes.   


Soon they came to a crosswalk and were about to step foot in the road before they heard a yell that was getting louder.   


"Incoming!" A blur of orange and red barreled down the street just a few feet in front of them only to be promptly halted crashing into a lamp.  When the smoke cleared, jammed in the wreck under the the now dented metal pole was a redheaded girl with pigtails who looked like she couldn't be more than college age.   


She sputtered, looking up at them cheekily, " 'Sup Vaughn."   


"Hey Gaige."   


"Do you just know everyone around here?" Rhys asked.   


"I know a lot of people," Vaughn replied aside, shrugging.   


"He...ugh. He- can I get a little help?" she was trying to dislodge herself from two collapsed in pieces of machinery.  Vaughn assisted her, easily bending the halves outwards so she could hop out.  Gaige shook herself out and raised her goggles up to her forehead, the absence of dark soot under them leaving rings around her eyes. "What I was saying is that he helps me haul over stuff from the junkyard."   


"When she's not in school," Vaughn pointedly looked at Rhys.     


"Yeah well it's the weekend so you can't catch me skipping class anyway," she stuck her tongue out and the two of them shared a laugh.   


"I'm Gaige by the way, nice to meetcha," she addressed the taller of the two men.   


"Rhys. What exactly do you go to school for?" Rhys was curious, from the looks of the wreck it was pretty advanced tech.   


"I'm training to be an engineer- well, a  _ licensed _ engineer," she snorted, "I'm already like, an expert on mech tech."   


She planted her hands on her hips and Rhys noticed something he couldn't believe he missed before; her left arm was replaced by a robotic one.  Gaige caught him eying it, taking the specs of his own arm.    


"Pretty cool right? It's an all purpose controller I hooked up to my bio-rhythms for my inventions," she beamed proudly.   


"Does it work like a lock on them too so people can't hijack your builds?"   


"Yeah exactly!" Gaige dragged her broken invention further out on the sidewalk, "Not that I expect anyone stealing  _ that _ anytime soon." She sighed, "Gotta see if I can sneak some stuff out of the school lab because this garbage is not cutting it."   


"What's it for? It looks pretty cool," Rhys set his crutches down and kneeled by the pile, " It's a good propulsion system for what you're working with, but yeah you're right it's gonna burn up real quick if you're going for a permanent build." Perma-builds were tricky because even though they lasted longer and were more stable, they involved a great deal of design planning and high quality materials.   


"Thanks, it's just a lil' something I'm thinking about for hero work."   


"Gaige..." Vaughn's concerned voice butted in.   


She groaned. "I know you told me 'Oh Gaige that's a really big life decision' " she mocked his voice with the most teenage rebellion she could channel, "but if I can really do something about the bad shit that goes down in Pandora I'm gonna do it!"   


"I know, it's just a hard life," he said quietly.   


"Coming from you...I've seen what you can do. Helping me out."   


"I help everyone," Vaughn said hastily.   


"See! That's why you'd make a perfect hero!"   


A small snicker came from Rhys.   


"Yeah Vaughn why not become a hero?"   


Vaughn shot him a quick glare. "I just don't think I'm hero material..."   


"So do you have a favorite? Favorite hero I mean," Rhys changed the subject. This girl had some obvious anarchist leanings and Rhys wanted to know at least part of what made her tick.   


Gaige didn't miss a beat, "Wireframe."   


Rhys had to admit her answer took him by surprise, "An interesting choice."   


"Hear me out, now I know he's not a  _ conventional _ hero but I don't think he's really a villain either.  He's got like, this grey morality thing going on- I know the press goes out of their way to make him look really bad but if you think of the crime he's done it's all against big shots that don't give a crap about us civilians.  I can respect that kind of agenda," she huffed. It was apparent she had given this speech before.   


"You just like him because you have the same powers," Vaughn mumbled, pretending he wasn't calling her out.   


"Okaaaaay maybe that's part of it but rapid build's not my style even though his are  _ wicked _ .  Did you see the duel last night it was fuckin' buh-na-nas." The inhabitants of Hollow Point had learned to ignore the frequent battles happening at the edge of town for the most part since they were late and mostly forgettable, but apparently Rhys had made more than the usual scene.    


_ At least someone appreciates my work _ Rhys thought as he smiled to himself.   


Rhys got up and re-situated his crutches, "Y'know if you're interested in hero grade equipment I dabble in some hypertech engineering."   


Vaughn's eyes grew a little wider; he made a face that screamed “what are you doing”.   


Her eyes lit up and her voice squeaked, "Really?"   


"Sure, just ask Vaughn if you want to meet up."   


"Hell yeah!"   


"We should get going," Vaughn urgently directed Rhys away to the drug store, "It was real nice seeing you Gaige, bye!"   


Rhys made a small, innocent wave at her.   


"Bye guys!" she excitedly waved back as the walked off and she went back to dealing with the dilemma of moving her junk out of the road.   
  


"Why'd you have to put that in her head?" he hissed at Rhys.   


The taller man didn't reply regretfully. "Think of it this way, do you want her to get destroyed her first time out or do you want to give her a chance to ease into it?"   


Vaughn opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it, furrowing his brow.   


"You know she's gonna do it anyway.  No one needs the world to lose another good kid."   


"I guess that's true..." Vaughn said quietly, "I just hope you teach her enough."   


"I will. I promise I will," his last sentence was delivered with with his utmost sincerity.   


They finally reached the automatic doors of the pharmacy, locating the pain relief aisle so they could just grab what they came there for and leave.  Since Vaughn was a little more well versed in the ins and outs of over the counter pain killers Rhys let him make the decision on which ones to buy.  Once they stepped outside, the first thing Rhys did was pop two pills in his mouth.   


"Feeling better?"   


"Mhmm."   


"We'll head home then." He was about to turn when Rhys cut him off.   


"Actually Vaughn, um," Rhys didn't know how to say this without being intrusive or weird, "If it's alright with you could we stay out a little longer? I kinda like learning about where you live- well I like learning about you! I hope that's not overstepping any boundaries..." He felt the blood rush to his face as his mouth ran on; it wasn't often his words betrayed him.   


Vaughn blinked a couple times, perhaps a little phased by how shy Rhys was, "Of...course we can do that!" His bright laughter shook off the awkwardness,"Which way do you wanna go? This way or this way?" He pointed down two opposite roads.   


"Mmmm...left."   


"Good choice, that's the way to the park."   


They headed off, enjoying each other's company and the privilege of a casual chat.  It was something they hadn't tasted in a long time; the feeling of a normal life.   
  


When they got back it was later in the evening.  The plan was to make dinner and go to bed.  Rhys was told to rest on the couch while dinner was cooked,  which he did reluctantly after Vaughn insisted.   While he was lying down a small, grey munchkin cat climbed through the open window and into the apartment.  The stout little animal paused at the foot of the couch before shimmying and jumping up right next to Rhys.     


When Vaughn came back with a couple plates of spaghetti he found a tiny furball curled up on Rhys's chest.  It looked up affectionately to acknowledge the newcomer before stretching and curling back up.   


"Oh sorry," Vaughn laughed, setting down the plates, "He follows me around sometimes. Must've got up the fire escape or something and walked across the windowsills..."   
  


The cat had followed him often around here during his nights of hero work.  He assumed he was a stray, but he never begged for food.  Vaughn thought he was absolutely adorable and usually spent the free time he had out with the cat.   


"I know who he is," Rhys smiled softly and massaged the scruff of the cat's neck.   


"You do? Is he your cat?"   


"No, he doesn't really belong to anyone. His name's Tim."   


"I've just been calling him 'cat'." He kneeled by the couch and scratched behind Tim's ears, "Hey Timmy."   


The cat lifted his head, staring at Vaughn for a few seconds but decidedly put his head back down.   


"I don't think he likes you calling him that," Rhys laughed.   


"Pfft. He's a really sweet cat though."   


"He knows," Rhys smiled, picking Tim up and relocating him to his lap so he could sit up.   


The two ate in silence,  only accompanied by the loud purr of the cat.  When they finished, Rhys put Tim on the couch and got up without much pain.   


"I'll take your plate," he stacked them together and brought them to the sink.   


"You think you'll be good by tomorrow...?"   


"I..." Rhys knew what he meant, he should go tomorrow- he  _ had _ to go before this got too personal, "I think so." He pensively washed the dishes and put them up on the drying rack.   


"You...know..." Vaughn's voice wavered, he knew it was a very stupid move to say this, "You can sleep on the bed if it's more comfortable."   


Rhys considered the offer for a moment.   


"Okay."   


"Alright then."   


There was an uncomfortably long pause where they had a hard time looking at each other eye to eye.   


"I'm... gonna take a shower then," Vaughn laughed awkwardly as he headed to the bathroom.   


"Yeha, yeah you should do that..." Rhys weakly shot him a pair of finger guns.   


Once Vaughn closed the door Rhys hit himself on the head.  Tim had settled himself up on the top cushions of the couch, enjoying the show.    


"Don't look at me like that," Rhys pouted at Tim, who made a smug purr.  The cat yawned, hopping off the couch and going up to Rhys to nuzzle his leg, urging him to go to bed.   


"Okay, okay! Little troublemaker..."   
  


After Vaughn finished his shower,  Rhys was already in bed with his pants neatly folded and his arm placed by the mattress.  There was no bed frame; it was impractical in a room so small.  Vaughn's pajamas similarly consisted of an oversized t-shirt and boxers.  He got under the covers, the two of them lying quietly side by side.   


"Vaughn?" Rhys felt like a schoolboy at a slumber party, talking quietly out into the darkness.   


"Yeah Rhys?" the other man turned his head to him slightly.   


"I think I kinda love you. Is that okay?"   


Vaughn sighed, wrapping his arms around Rhys, "Probably not, but I know you'll do it anyway." He gently laughed, holding the taller man a little tighter, "That doesn't hurt does it?"   


"Mm-mm..." Rhys shook his head, cuddling him and nuzzling his hair.     


"Good...I don't wanna let you go..."   
  


The next morning, Vaughn had gone out early to get groceries; he thought the least he could do was offer Rhys a nice breakfast before he saw him off.  He was walking up the stairs, but stopped by the top, hearing another voice from his apartment that wasn't    
Rhys's. He caught a snippet of the conversation:   


"-So l was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you..."   


"At least you've been around here before so it was easier-"   


Silently he snuck up to the door, opening it with an equal amount of stealth. As the door swung open, Rhys and another man were staring at him from the couch.   


This stranger looked kind of like Handsome Jack, but not quite- like somewhere along the line he became a cute librarian instead of a musclebound superhero.  Aside from the perfectly coiffed black hair, he was lankier, dressed in a striped shirt and some jeans.  The most telling sign, though, that he wasn't the famed hero was the countless freckles that dotted his face.   


After they had gawked at each other a while, Rhys spoke up, "Vaughn...this is Timothy."   


"Wha...What?"   


"Sorry!" Tim piped up, "You probably recognize me as someone else."  He shifted himself into Replica's monstrous pale form, his voice deep and gravelly when he spoke again, "Or..." His body rapidly shrank, and when Vaughn looked again Tim was the grey kitty from the night before.  He happily mewed up at Vaughn staring in fascination.   


"I...wha..."   


Tim shifted back into human form, "I know it's a little bit of a shock," his hand affectionately linking with Rhys's.   


Vaughn's eyes fell on them.   


"Oh god I'm- I'm so sorry I didn't realize- last night I should have asked-"   


"Vaughn. It's fine, we  _ both _ like you," Rhys said gently.   


Vaughn looked at the two of them dumbfounded.  His heart fluttered at the sight of Tim's sweet smile and Rhys's dreamy one.   


"Oh I...I...that's nice." _Nice?_ ** _Nice_** _?_ _that's the best you can come up with?_ he thought.  


"You seem a little out of it, so I'll tell you what," he gave a knowing look to Tim, "Why don't we make breakfast? It's the least we can do for you after taking care of us."   


"O-okay," He didn't resist as they both took the groceries out of his hands and to the kitchen, 

 

"So you were the cat the whole time?" He followed them, leaning over the kitchen counter.   


"Yep!" Timothy was starting to whisk some pancake mix in a bowl, "It started out as spying but to tell you the truth you're really nice and I started coming around for fun." Tim's cheeks turned a light shade of pink admitting it to Vaughn.  "You won't hold it against me will you?"   


"No! You're a very cute cat."    


"Thanks, I try," Tim beamed. His voice dropped a little, "Hey...thanks for watching out for him."   


"Well I thought you guys would do the same for me." Vaughn leaned his head over so that he could see Rhys, "You sure you know what you're doing?"   


Rhys was having a bit of trouble cutting the vegetables for an omelette into tiny pieces.   


"No I got this!" he said as the knife came down with a loud chop and his carrot went flying onto the floor.  An aloof grin in Vaughn's direction followed.     


Vaughn walked into the kitchen and lightly placed his hand on Rhys's arm.   


"How about I handle the omelette and you cook the bacon."   


"That's fair," he sighed, starting up the stove.   
  


The morning had passed and Vaughn had called Rhys and Tim a cab.  They stood in front the apartment building; Rhys with a duffel bag Vaughn had given him and Tim, the cat sitting on top of all his clothes. Vaughn pet Tim's head as he was going to say his final goodbyes.   


"I paid the driver so you can get wherever you need to..."   


"I really...Vaughn I can't thank you enough." Rhys took him into his arms planting a brief kiss on his forehead, "So I...guess I'll see you around."   


Rhys's hands lowered to hold Vaughn's.   


"Bye..." he choked out.  He got into the cab, not daring to look back.   


Rhys’s touch lingered on Vaughn's fingers, he stood there a good while after the car left.  A long whistle called down to him; Moxxi was up on the balcony, leaning over the railing in a bathrobe idly watering her planter.   


"Don't worry hon, it'll all work out. S'always hard with your first villain," she remarked in her laid-back fashion.   


Vaughn looked at her in disbelief.   


"Oh sweetie you thought I didn't know? I can spot his type a mile away. You get none uh those scars bein' a suit."   


He cast his eyes down on the pavement, thinking about what he'd gotten himself into.   


"You need anything you come to me now, ya hear."   


"Thanks Ms. H, I'll... I'll keep it in mind." Vaughn looked back out at the street, "I think I'll just sit out here for a little bit."   



End file.
